Crazy in Chicago by Norah-Jean Perkin Read Free Book Online Page B

pliant, she returned the kiss, with a tenderness that sent his heart soaring.
    His pulse quickened, sparking fire in the long-dry tinder of his desire. Suddenly ravenous, he slid his hand behind her head to bring the sweetness closer. Her lips opened under his. He took what she offered, with a joy and openness he’d forgotten existed.
    Without warning Roberta pulled back. She stepped away from him, her eyes round, her lips wet.
    Loss swept over Cody. He raised one eyebrow. “Something wrong?”
    â€œNo . . . Yes—” Her face flamed, reminding him vividly of the night he’d surprised her in the garden. “It’s just . . . we have a professional relationship to maintain.”
    â€œI hadn’t realized you were my doctor,” he quipped.
    â€œNo! That’s not what I mean. I’m . . .” She looked away. “I’m a source for your stories. You can’t—well, we just can’t do this.”
    â€œAll right then,” he said agreeably. “I won’t ask you any more work-related questions. I’ll have the professional relationship with your boss, and a personal relationship with you.”
    He took a step towards her. She backed up. He scowled.
    â€œNo,” she said. She raked her hand through her hair. “Besides, I’m all wrong for you. I’m not the kind of woman you usually go out with.”
    â€œNo?” His scowl deepened. “And how would you know that? Do you believe everything you read in the papers? Besides, I told you I’ve changed. I haven’t been interested in any woman since my disappearance. But that all changed the night I met you. Ever since I saw you that first night, out under the stars, you’ve fascinated me.” He took another step towards her.
    â€œMe?” she squeaked, grasping the back of a metal chair.
    â€œYes, you.” Cody reached out and covered the hand with which she grasped the chair.
    â€œUh, you’re making a mistake.”
    â€œNo, I don’t think so.” Cody was taken aback by her reaction. He’d been certain he read attraction and interest in her manner. Had he been out of the game so long he’d misread the signals?
    â€œWhy do you keep backing up?” he persisted. “Do you already have a boyfriend?”
    Roberta pulled her hand out from under his. She retreated to the hedge separating their gardens. She didn’t look at him. “No. There’s no one.”
    Her answer perplexed Cody. Why was she moving away from him? A slight professional relationship seemed a flimsy excuse for breaking off a kiss. Especially a kiss that he felt certain she had wanted every bit as much as he had.
    â€œI just wanted to kiss you. And then . . .”
    The unspoken possibilities in his unfinished sentence hung in the air between them.
    She turned away. “Well, I don’t want to kiss you. I want us to be friendly neighbors, and that’s all.”
    She faced him again, her expression stern. “I want you to drink your milk and go. Now.”
    â€œYes, ma’am.” Cody grinned. He knew when to pack up and leave. For now.
    He reached for the glass of milk, raised it to her, then drained the glass in one long swig. A line of milk remained above his upper lip and once again he licked it away with the tip of his tongue. A thrill of pleasure rushed through him when he glanced up and caught her watching once more.
    â€œThanks.” He set down his glass and nodded to her. He was going home without having achieved his objective.
    But it didn’t matter. He’d be back.
    * * *
    Guilt gnawed at Roberta as she sat in the passenger seat of Cody’s Corvette the next evening. I should tell him, she thought.
    She chewed her bottom lip and fiddled with the chain around her neck. I should tell him the truth. The truth about why she was accompanying him on a visit to see his friend’s new baby, despite her refusal yesterday to get